Case Study 1 – Medication errors and strategies for prevention
1A) Factors that can contribute to medication errors may include lack of knowledge, non-adherence or neglect of proper medication protocol and human error due to tiredness and fatigue. According to recent research, inadequate knowledge in pharmacology such as administration routes and dosage calculations was one of the most important reasons for the occurrence of medication errors (Shahrokhi, Ebrahimpour & Ghodousi, 2013). A strategy for preventing this occurrence would be to implement periodic education programs for nurses, enabling nurses to consolidate and further expand and improve their knowledge of both the current and continuous new supply of drugs. In an attempt to prevent medication errors due to the factor of human error, the improvement of proper managerial and organisational preparations such as the moderation of work hours and appropriately adjusting the nurse to patient ratio are some strategies to be considered. This may ultimately reduce the factor of tiredness due to excessive overtime work, limiting the space for human and medication errors. Furthermore, the standardisation of protocols will ensure the consistency of processes, ensuring that …show more content…
Coronary artery disease due to atherosclerosis is the most common cause of unstable angina. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body and there is a thin layer of cells called the endothelium, which helps keep the arteries toned and smooth to keep blood flowing. Damage to this thin layer can be caused by high blood pressure, smoking or high cholesterol which leads to the formation of plaque. This build up of fatty material accumulates over time and causes a bump on the artery wall, causing them to become less flexible and narrow (Craft, Gordon, & Tiziani,
1A) Factors that can contribute to medication errors may include lack of knowledge, non-adherence or neglect of proper medication protocol and human error due to tiredness and fatigue. According to recent research, inadequate knowledge in pharmacology such as administration routes and dosage calculations was one of the most important reasons for the occurrence of medication errors (Shahrokhi, Ebrahimpour & Ghodousi, 2013). A strategy for preventing this occurrence would be to implement periodic education programs for nurses, enabling nurses to consolidate and further expand and improve their knowledge of both the current and continuous new supply of drugs. In an attempt to prevent medication errors due to the factor of human error, the improvement of proper managerial and organisational preparations such as the moderation of work hours and appropriately adjusting the nurse to patient ratio are some strategies to be considered. This may ultimately reduce the factor of tiredness due to excessive overtime work, limiting the space for human and medication errors. Furthermore, the standardisation of protocols will ensure the consistency of processes, ensuring that …show more content…
Coronary artery disease due to atherosclerosis is the most common cause of unstable angina. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body and there is a thin layer of cells called the endothelium, which helps keep the arteries toned and smooth to keep blood flowing. Damage to this thin layer can be caused by high blood pressure, smoking or high cholesterol which leads to the formation of plaque. This build up of fatty material accumulates over time and causes a bump on the artery wall, causing them to become less flexible and narrow (Craft, Gordon, & Tiziani,